


Day Nine: Move

by mathgeek27



Series: Drabble a Day Challenge [9]
Category: drabble a day challenge - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 22:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4037272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathgeek27/pseuds/mathgeek27





	Day Nine: Move

She could never stay still. The urge to move was too strong to ignore. She got in trouble, she got weird looks, but nothing could overcome the need to fidget.

Her mother last yelled at her for her constant motion when Jackie was sixteen. They were sitting in church, and Jackie couldn't help but swing her legs and twist her torso. As they were walking out the doors at the end of the service, her mother grabbed her arm and dragged her into the empty sound room. It hurt, but Jackie was too afraid to say anything. Her mom had that look, the one that she got when Jackie's brothers did Something Bad. "God dammit, Jackie, why can't you sit still. It was only an hour, for christs sake. You are such a pain in my ass. Would it kill you to be an easy kid, just for once? Jesus. A girl your age should know how to sit still."  
As her mother turned away, she muttered under her breath, "You're more trouble than you're worth."

From that day on, Jackie sat still.

Jackie never told her father about the day at church, or any of the other reprimands, for that matter. She figure that her parents would talk about that sort of thing, seeing as they were raising children together.

-

It wasn't until she was twenty that she fell out of this delusion. She was on break from university, visiting her father in Seattle. They were having a lovely time. She always enjoyed visiting her father. He understood her. She was just telling a story; she thought nothing of it when she said, "And you know how I always got in trouble for not sitting still, well-"

"Wait, Jackie. What? When did you ever get in trouble for not sitting still?"

She paused. Was her father joking?

"Are you joking? Only all the time."

"No, honey, I'm not joking. I don't remember ever yelling at you for not sitting still. What a trivial thing to be mad about. Kids can't help if they need to fidget."

This was strange. How could her father not remember? he was sure that she had been reprimanded at least twice a day. Although... Thinking back, Jackie realised that it was always her mother doing the scolding. But surely her mother must have mentioned it- at least once, in sixteen years- to Jackie's father?

"No, love. I'm afraid not. Your mother was always like that, though, keeping secrets when she knew i would have disagreed with her. I never would have tolerated it. For one, the whole thing is ridiculous. It's so trivial.

I'm so sorry, honey. I should have noticed and had a conversation with your mother long ago. But better late than never, right? So I'll tell you now: You should have never gotten in trouble for fidgeting around. I can't ever sit still either. People are allowed to tap their feet and swing their legs all they want. Children are meant to move. A tree's leaves are never still, are they?"


End file.
